Abstract:
A method is disclosed for forming a chamber (350) in an electronic device (310), including the steps of preparing an outer surface (336) on a solidified core material (334), the solidified core material (334) in a depression (316) formed in a substrate (312). The method further includes establishing a layer (338) on the prepared outer surface (336) of the solidified core material (334) and a portion of the substrate (312) surrounding the depression (316). The established layer (338) and the substrate (312) define a chamber (350).
Abstract:
A thermal bend actuator ( 6 ) is provided with a group of upper arms ( 23, 25, 26 ) and a group of lower arms ( 27, 28 ) which are non planar, so increasing the stiffness of the arms. The arms ( 23, 25, 26,27,28 ) may be spaced transversely of each other and do not overly each other in plan view, so enabling all arms to be formed by depositing a single layer of arm forming material
Abstract:
A method of Si anisotropic etching makes it possible to relax the restrictions imposed upon the processing configuration of an Si substrate provided with the 〈100〉 plane orientation. This Si anisotropic etching method can be preferably used for the formation of the ink supply opening of an ink jet head, for example. When an Si material (Si substrate) having the 〈100〉 crystal plane orientation is processed by this anisotropic etching method, it is arranged to give heat treatment to such Si material in advance before etching. Thus, the processed section can be obtained in a bent configuration formed by the two 〈111〉 planes of crystal plane orientation. Therefore, the etching initiation surface is made smaller than that needed for the conventional art even when the same width should be obtained for a penetrating process, hence making a chip smaller accordingly for the reduction of costs.
Abstract:
Three dimensional silicon structures are fabricated from {100} silicon wafers by a single side, multiple step ODE etching process. All etching masks (26, 28) are formed one on top of the other prior to the initiation of etching, with the coarsest mask (28) formed last and used first. Once the coarse anisotropic etching is completed, the coarse mask is removed and the finer anisotropic etching is done. The three dimensional structure may be a thermal ink jet channel plate, in which case the etching process is a two-step process in which the coarse etching step provides the ink reservoir (30) and the fine etching step provides the ink channels (32).